BOSTGATE: Open letter to Akufo-Addo on how to clamp down 'scandulous' contamination deals

On Tuesday, the Minister of Energy, Mr Boakye Agyarko announced at a press conference that an investigation by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) has cleared the Managing Director of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST), Mr Alfred Obeng Boateng of any wrongdoing in the sale of five million litres of contaminated fuel.

Consequently, the Minister indicated that a thorough review will be conducted on the operations of BOST to prevent further occurrences of fuel contamination.

In a response however, some industry experts have sent an 11-page open letter to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on the BOST saga.

Read also: No cover up at BOST

The “deeply concerned Ghanaians” who did not put their names to the letter [Download a copy below] are urging the president to commission a public and independent investigation into the slop [contamination] trade of Mr. Awuah-Darko, the former Managing Director of BOST and Mr. Alfred Obeng Boateng, the current MD.

This, according to them will help show the President’s commitment to fighting corruption.

“The BOST contaminated fuel saga is a major test case for the country’s resolve to fight corruption and the lack of accountability,” the letter which was also copied to the Chairman of Council of State said.

Off-spec, Slop, Sludge and Contaminated products.

They argued that the terms, Off-spec, Slop, Sludge and Contaminated products have been distorted in their use by BOST and many commentators either ignorantly, or deliberately to shield the facts and accurate analysis of the situation.

Sludge

Sludge refers to the petroleum sediments gathered in tanks over time. It is mud-like and often collected when tanks are cleaned. Cleaning per the API rules is required every 10 years. While cleaning may be done at shorter intervals it is not that frequent.

Slop

Slop refers to a mixture of different products (fuels, water etc) which interface in the normal course of operating depots. Every modern depot has a slop tank as part of its engineering make up.

At BOST, they said slop is mainly created when a given type of product (eg. Diesel) is dislodged from the export pump station (EPS) by the pumping of a different type of product (e.g. petrol) from the All Buoy Berth central pipe line.

To ensure the incoming petrol does not get contaminated by the diesel in the EPS, the dislodged diesel is pushed into the slop tank. The size of the slop tank at the BOST Accra Plains Depot (APD) is 75,000 litres. The maximum dislodged from the EPS during any import is about 3,000 litres.

Typically, they said slop is not sold. It is tested and a blending plan instituted (in collaboration with the NPA) to restore its quality and sold as normal products. In fact, users of petroleum tank farm facilities hardly hear of slop and the management of it.

Off-Spec

Off-spec refers to all products not meeting a given specification. Slop, sludge and contaminated products are all Off-spec. As observed above all products are treated differently, disposed differently and have different uses. It is, therefore, disingenuous to simply address slop and product contamination as off-spec in the ongoing saga, they said.

Awuah Darko

They maintained that prior to the advent of the Awuah-Darko era, selling ‘slop’ was not a norm and Awuah-Darko introduced the art and act of BOST "enjoying slop trade."

“In 2016, about 59 Cargo product changeovers were recorded at the ABB. This will imply that at 3000 ltrs per dislodgement in the EPS for every cargo changeover, the total slop realizable at BOST should be about 177,000 ltrs for the whole of 2016.

"It is, therefore, suspicious to observe reports of 12.4mn litres of slop sold under Awuah-Darko. Should these reports be accurate, as demanded of you [Akufo-Addo] in your oath of office, we expect that you initiate immediate investigations into this matter and prosecute Mr. Awuah-darko and all persons involved."

Alfred Obeng Boateng

Regarding the tenure of Mr Obeng Boateng, the letter said, the BOST situation in which petrol was pumped into diesel was not slop but simply a contaminated product situation.

“It was wrong and improper for contaminated products to be sold.”

They therefore recommended a review of the contamination process and hold the appropriate entity (entities) responsible. “We believe BOST may not be the liable party.”

The letter said reports from BOST officials that the contamination was a result of the displacement of petrol in the ABB pipeline into a diesel shore tank at BOST “surprising.”